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How to Use Your Enemies
'Better mad with the crowd than sane all alone'
In these witty, Machiavellian aphorisms, unlikely Spanish priest Baltasar Gracián shows us how to exploit friends and enemies alike to thrive in a world of deception and illusion.
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.
Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658).
Gracián's work is available in Penguin Classics in The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence.
In these witty, Machiavellian aphorisms, unlikely Spanish priest Baltasar Gracián shows us how to exploit friends and enemies alike to thrive in a world of deception and illusion.
Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.
Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658).
Gracián's work is available in Penguin Classics in The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence.
54 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1647
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4,167 people want to read
About the author
Baltasar Gracián
389Ìýbooks428ÌýfollowersBaltasar Gracián y Morales, SJ (8 January 1601 â€� 6 December 1658), formerly Anglicized as Baltazar Gracian,[1] was a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud (Aragón). His proto-existentialist writings were lauded by Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.
The son of a doctor, in his childhood Gracián lived with his uncle, who was a priest. He studied at a Jesuit school in 1621 and 1623 and theology in Zaragoza. He was ordained in 1627 and took his final vows in 1635.
He assumed the vows of the Jesuits in 1633 and dedicated himself to teaching in various Jesuit schools. He spent time in Huesca, where he befriended the local scholar Vincencio Juan de Lastanosa, who helped him achieve an important milestone in his intellectual upbringing. He acquired fame as a preacher, although some of his oratorical displays, such as reading a letter sent from Hell from the pulpit, were frowned upon by his superiors. He was named Rector of the Jesuit college of Tarragona and wrote works proposing models for courtly conduct such as El héroe (The Hero), El polÃtico (The Politician), and El discreto (The Discreet One). During the Spanish war with Catalonia and France, he was chaplain of the army that liberated Lleida in 1646.
In 1651, he published the first part of the Criticón (Faultfinder) without the permission of his superiors, whom he disobeyed repeatedly. This attracted the Society's displeasure. Ignoring the reprimands, he published the second part of Criticón in 1657, as a result was sanctioned and exiled to Graus at the beginning of 1658. Soon Gracián wrote to apply for membership in another religious order. His demand was not met, but his sanction was eased off: in April of 1658 he was sent to several minor positions under the College of Tarazona. His physical decline prevented him from attending the provincial congregation of Calatayud and on 6 December 1658 Gracián died in Tarazona, near Zaragoza in the Kingdom of Aragón.
Gracián is the most representative writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style known as Conceptismo (Conceptism), of which he was the most important theoretician; his Agudeza y arte de ingenio (Wit and the Art of Inventiveness) is at once a poetic, a rhetoric and an anthology of the conceptist style.
The Aragonese village where he was born (Belmonte de Calatayud), changed its name to Belmonte de Gracian in his honour.
The son of a doctor, in his childhood Gracián lived with his uncle, who was a priest. He studied at a Jesuit school in 1621 and 1623 and theology in Zaragoza. He was ordained in 1627 and took his final vows in 1635.
He assumed the vows of the Jesuits in 1633 and dedicated himself to teaching in various Jesuit schools. He spent time in Huesca, where he befriended the local scholar Vincencio Juan de Lastanosa, who helped him achieve an important milestone in his intellectual upbringing. He acquired fame as a preacher, although some of his oratorical displays, such as reading a letter sent from Hell from the pulpit, were frowned upon by his superiors. He was named Rector of the Jesuit college of Tarragona and wrote works proposing models for courtly conduct such as El héroe (The Hero), El polÃtico (The Politician), and El discreto (The Discreet One). During the Spanish war with Catalonia and France, he was chaplain of the army that liberated Lleida in 1646.
In 1651, he published the first part of the Criticón (Faultfinder) without the permission of his superiors, whom he disobeyed repeatedly. This attracted the Society's displeasure. Ignoring the reprimands, he published the second part of Criticón in 1657, as a result was sanctioned and exiled to Graus at the beginning of 1658. Soon Gracián wrote to apply for membership in another religious order. His demand was not met, but his sanction was eased off: in April of 1658 he was sent to several minor positions under the College of Tarazona. His physical decline prevented him from attending the provincial congregation of Calatayud and on 6 December 1658 Gracián died in Tarazona, near Zaragoza in the Kingdom of Aragón.
Gracián is the most representative writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style known as Conceptismo (Conceptism), of which he was the most important theoretician; his Agudeza y arte de ingenio (Wit and the Art of Inventiveness) is at once a poetic, a rhetoric and an anthology of the conceptist style.
The Aragonese village where he was born (Belmonte de Calatayud), changed its name to Belmonte de Gracian in his honour.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
February 14, 2016
I’ve got a new name for this book.
I call it “How to be a conniving ass and manipulate people� by Baltasar Gracian.
Does it sound like something you’d want to read? This was just so damn cold. I’d sooner listen to advice from my cat than this snake. This guy gives advice on how to use your friends, how to twist your friendships for personal profit, and how to be fake to the point of complete falsehood. What happened to just being yourself? What happened to individualism? Who cares how you “should� act? Who wants to be seen with perfect composure though an air of deceit? Not me, that’s for sure.
I suppose when it was written it may have helped those fools that succumbed to societies every whim, you know, those that worried over the most minor details of conformity and sophistication. It’s for the sort of person that lives for socialising with the higher classes, and speaking with deceptive words so they could be the snake at the dinner party. I hate this book. The advice is cold, calculated and terrible. I wouldn’t follow it. I don’t even want to read it. There is no sentiment or empathy, just one self-absorbed man with ignorant manipulation up his sleeve.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 12
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
I call it “How to be a conniving ass and manipulate people� by Baltasar Gracian.
Does it sound like something you’d want to read? This was just so damn cold. I’d sooner listen to advice from my cat than this snake. This guy gives advice on how to use your friends, how to twist your friendships for personal profit, and how to be fake to the point of complete falsehood. What happened to just being yourself? What happened to individualism? Who cares how you “should� act? Who wants to be seen with perfect composure though an air of deceit? Not me, that’s for sure.
I suppose when it was written it may have helped those fools that succumbed to societies every whim, you know, those that worried over the most minor details of conformity and sophistication. It’s for the sort of person that lives for socialising with the higher classes, and speaking with deceptive words so they could be the snake at the dinner party. I hate this book. The advice is cold, calculated and terrible. I wouldn’t follow it. I don’t even want to read it. There is no sentiment or empathy, just one self-absorbed man with ignorant manipulation up his sleeve.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 12
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
November 29, 2019
Baltasar Gracián was a 17th-century Spanish Jesuit, mostly known for his massive novel . Here is a small sample of his . This book is in the same vein, both in the form (fragmented and condensed aphoristic writing) and content (moral and political maxims) as many other writers, such as , , , , , , , . In short, it is all about how to use artifice, cunning, dissimulation and manipulation, to prevail in a hostile and fickle social space.
It is indeed a testimony to the diversity of human conduct and the complexity of social interactions in modern Western circles of power. To a degree, it could also be applied to the power struggle inside today’s corporate or political world. However, there is, perhaps, an essential difference between Gracián’s world and ours. He had a sense of the base and rank aspects of humanity and felt a sophisticated need to balance and cover it with a veil of affected virtue, caution and refinement. Nowadays, on the contrary, people at the top of political power don’t even feel the need to conceal their vulgarity and sordidness. Some might think that Gracián was cold and conniving and that we luckily have progressed towards more truthfulness and honesty... Have we?
It is indeed a testimony to the diversity of human conduct and the complexity of social interactions in modern Western circles of power. To a degree, it could also be applied to the power struggle inside today’s corporate or political world. However, there is, perhaps, an essential difference between Gracián’s world and ours. He had a sense of the base and rank aspects of humanity and felt a sophisticated need to balance and cover it with a veil of affected virtue, caution and refinement. Nowadays, on the contrary, people at the top of political power don’t even feel the need to conceal their vulgarity and sordidness. Some might think that Gracián was cold and conniving and that we luckily have progressed towards more truthfulness and honesty... Have we?
October 9, 2020
Half the world is laughing at the other half, and all are fools.
Intrigued by the title, I had bought this one (and several others from this Penguins collection).
Even though it was written in the seventeenth century, it can still be applied to today's life to some parts. The writing style is very direct and lacks empathy but I think this was just how it was back in the time. I like this kind of clear, direct speech but I can understand when people get upset or can't relate to this book.
To be honest, some parts of this book is outright dangerous when you don't take time to think properly about it. Let's take the advice "to use your friends". It sounds very harsh but think deeper about friendship: you do choose people to have a friendship with and you get benefits from any relationship (including friendship). Actually, I interpreted it for me that the author suggests to "give and take" from friends, and not just to be on the giving side. But if you take the words as they are and start "using friends" just as you want, you may have no friends at all in the end.
The author also focuses on the importance of knowing oneself. You know, nowadays people keep on saying to love oneself. And I think this is the same here, you need to know&love yourself in order to know your moral, abilities and also your unlucky days.
After you are done with yourself, which is hard enough, you can proceed with your friends, to be affectionate and also "how to use your enemies". The importance also lies in being able to adapt and also knowing how to refuse. It all sounds so easy on paper, right? It would be great if it would be so easy to change oneself and to be more stoic.
Neither love nor hate forever.
Btw, these Penguin Little Black Classics are fantastic and I highly recommend them. They are cheap to purchase and you get into classic literature easily in a short time.
Intrigued by the title, I had bought this one (and several others from this Penguins collection).
Even though it was written in the seventeenth century, it can still be applied to today's life to some parts. The writing style is very direct and lacks empathy but I think this was just how it was back in the time. I like this kind of clear, direct speech but I can understand when people get upset or can't relate to this book.
To be honest, some parts of this book is outright dangerous when you don't take time to think properly about it. Let's take the advice "to use your friends". It sounds very harsh but think deeper about friendship: you do choose people to have a friendship with and you get benefits from any relationship (including friendship). Actually, I interpreted it for me that the author suggests to "give and take" from friends, and not just to be on the giving side. But if you take the words as they are and start "using friends" just as you want, you may have no friends at all in the end.
The author also focuses on the importance of knowing oneself. You know, nowadays people keep on saying to love oneself. And I think this is the same here, you need to know&love yourself in order to know your moral, abilities and also your unlucky days.
After you are done with yourself, which is hard enough, you can proceed with your friends, to be affectionate and also "how to use your enemies". The importance also lies in being able to adapt and also knowing how to refuse. It all sounds so easy on paper, right? It would be great if it would be so easy to change oneself and to be more stoic.
Neither love nor hate forever.
Btw, these Penguin Little Black Classics are fantastic and I highly recommend them. They are cheap to purchase and you get into classic literature easily in a short time.
August 8, 2015
I feel like all newly sorted Slytherins should receive a copy of this. Brilliant advice from a 17th century Spanish priest, full of wit with a dash of humor.
April 11, 2018
"What's said well, is said quickly."
- Baltasar Gracián
Vol 11 of my Penguin . Reminds me of: Machiavelli's + Carnegie's + Greene's 48 Laws of Power, all mixed together by a Spanish Jesuit. How to Use Your Enemies takes pieces from Gracian's Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia (1647), often translated to ', or 'The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence'. I actually really enjoyed it. The only reason I didn't give it 5-stars was it was an abridgement. So, I guess I'm heading to Christopher Maurer 1992 translation next.
Like Machiavelli's 'The Prince' I think there is a lot of truth, and ugliness, about mankind sprinkled throughout the book, but I'm also a bit relaxed about it too. I wouldn't take Ben Franklin's aphorisms too serious either. Early to bed, early to rise? Go to hell Franklin.
- Baltasar Gracián
Vol 11 of my Penguin . Reminds me of: Machiavelli's + Carnegie's + Greene's 48 Laws of Power, all mixed together by a Spanish Jesuit. How to Use Your Enemies takes pieces from Gracian's Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia (1647), often translated to ', or 'The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence'. I actually really enjoyed it. The only reason I didn't give it 5-stars was it was an abridgement. So, I guess I'm heading to Christopher Maurer 1992 translation next.
Like Machiavelli's 'The Prince' I think there is a lot of truth, and ugliness, about mankind sprinkled throughout the book, but I'm also a bit relaxed about it too. I wouldn't take Ben Franklin's aphorisms too serious either. Early to bed, early to rise? Go to hell Franklin.
April 30, 2017
Jesus exhorted his disciples to be as harmless as doves but as wise as snakes. Spanish Jesuit priest Baltasar Gracian (1601-1658) followed this teaching to the letter. A theologian known for his rousing sermons (including his coup-de-theatre - reading out a "letter from Hell), he was also the author of "El Discreto" (or "The Complete Gentleman") and "The Pocket Oracle", a collection of witty and wily maxims meant to help the reader achieve success in a perilous, less-than-perfect society. Brilliantly written, "The Oracle" is clearly the work of a penetrating and observant mind. Gracian provides us with some surprisingly insightful advice as to how to address our all-too-human frailties and how to behave when confronted with the weaknesses (or malice) of others.
This edition presents a selection from Gracian's work and shows it to be as fresh and relevant as ever.
This edition presents a selection from Gracian's work and shows it to be as fresh and relevant as ever.
August 19, 2016
Ever wondered how to be into a manipulative and calculating asshole? If so, this is just the book for you. It's probably the nastiest piece of advice I've ever received. In How to Use Your Enemies a seventeenth-century Spanish priest sheds some light on using guile and pragmatism to succeed in a dangerous world.
To be fair, Gracián's writing is still applicable today, which is surprising considering how it was written hundreds of years ago and society has definitely gone through a lot of changes since then. His writing is precise and easy to understand. His superior goal in life is to achieve knowledge and prudence and in this collection of writings he gives advice on how to get there:
"A person without knowledge is a world in darkness. Judgement and strength, eyes and hands; without courage, wisdom is sterile."
So far so good. Some things he says make complete sense and were even interesting things to think about: it's easier to gain a bad reputation than to erase it; perfection doesn't depend on one's person approval and you'll have a better life if you seek peace and just enjoy the ride. But to achieve all this, he recommends you to conceal your wishes and emotions, seek friends for profit and not for pleasure and give up on your good senses if the rest of the world goes mad, because it's better to be "sane with the majority than mad all alone". I cringed and felt appalled for most of this, which means this is definitely not something I would recommend reading or learning from if you care about compassion and benevolence.
Roughly a year ago Penguin introduced the Little Black Classics series to celebrate Penguin's 80th birthday. Including little stories from "around the world and across many centuries" as the publisher describes, I have been intrigued to read those for a long time, before finally having started. I hope to sooner or later read and review all of them!
To be fair, Gracián's writing is still applicable today, which is surprising considering how it was written hundreds of years ago and society has definitely gone through a lot of changes since then. His writing is precise and easy to understand. His superior goal in life is to achieve knowledge and prudence and in this collection of writings he gives advice on how to get there:
"A person without knowledge is a world in darkness. Judgement and strength, eyes and hands; without courage, wisdom is sterile."
So far so good. Some things he says make complete sense and were even interesting things to think about: it's easier to gain a bad reputation than to erase it; perfection doesn't depend on one's person approval and you'll have a better life if you seek peace and just enjoy the ride. But to achieve all this, he recommends you to conceal your wishes and emotions, seek friends for profit and not for pleasure and give up on your good senses if the rest of the world goes mad, because it's better to be "sane with the majority than mad all alone". I cringed and felt appalled for most of this, which means this is definitely not something I would recommend reading or learning from if you care about compassion and benevolence.
Roughly a year ago Penguin introduced the Little Black Classics series to celebrate Penguin's 80th birthday. Including little stories from "around the world and across many centuries" as the publisher describes, I have been intrigued to read those for a long time, before finally having started. I hope to sooner or later read and review all of them!
December 24, 2018
The fact that this was written in 1647 simply blows my mind. It might also be the translation, but this book feels incredibly current! I mean, it's definitely not the kind of wisdom one would expect from a 17th century Jesuit priest - however, success is amoral and it implies deception, reticence and manipulation, so do brace yourself for some cold hard truths.
Still, it's really weird that he would write such a book for publication, sharing so much of what he had learned: "It's neither useful nor pleasurable to show all your cards. [...] The wise cannot be identified by what they say in public, since they never speak there with their own voice but following common stupidity, however much their inner thoughts contradict this."
Still, it's really weird that he would write such a book for publication, sharing so much of what he had learned: "It's neither useful nor pleasurable to show all your cards. [...] The wise cannot be identified by what they say in public, since they never speak there with their own voice but following common stupidity, however much their inner thoughts contradict this."
December 4, 2016
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This is more than a guide on How to Use Your Enemies, it is at the same time a guide on How to Use Your Friends (considering you have some left after behaving like the author suggested). It was so manipulative that it was actually an awkward read for me.
It is compared to Machiavelli, and while his ideas are also very calculated, they made more sense to me as they all help to reach a certain goal. They are harsh and cold, and don't translate into modern days, but one can imagine that they are useful. Now take that, and apply it on literally every aspect of your life and you'll get How to Use Your Enemies. He really seemed like the typical calculating evil guy. This is not one of the Little Black Classics that I would recommend.
Little Black Classics #12
This is more than a guide on How to Use Your Enemies, it is at the same time a guide on How to Use Your Friends (considering you have some left after behaving like the author suggested). It was so manipulative that it was actually an awkward read for me.
It is compared to Machiavelli, and while his ideas are also very calculated, they made more sense to me as they all help to reach a certain goal. They are harsh and cold, and don't translate into modern days, but one can imagine that they are useful. Now take that, and apply it on literally every aspect of your life and you'll get How to Use Your Enemies. He really seemed like the typical calculating evil guy. This is not one of the Little Black Classics that I would recommend.
Little Black Classics #12
July 15, 2017
"You are as much as you know, and a wise person can do anything. A person without knowledge is a world in darkness."
"Some never manage to be complete; something is always missing."
These little excerpts of Baltasar Gracián works were written in the 17 century but funnily, they are still relatable and often times quite true.
He talks about how to behave in order to be successful, to behave in front of superiors (e.g. bosses) and how to behave with enemies.
I met a lot of people in higher positions and there were a lot of paragraphs exactly describing the way I had to behave and learn in order to not piss them off.
You know, for example, correct them if they are wrong but in such a way that it looks like someone else f* it up and not themselves. Or in order to get a good report after a job or internship it is important to leave a good impression on almost everyone - not just with the people in your department but also with the secrecy, with people from other departments, with the cleaning personnel etc. etc.
"Half the world is laughing at the other half, and all are fools."
Nonetheless the book also has some paragraphs that I do not support / I believe are wrong. One of them is that according to the book you should never interact with people who have it rough or are unfortunate because it spreads like a disease and gets to you. That's bulls*.
"Get used to the bad temperaments of those you deal with, like getting used to ugly faces." dude what?!
"Some never manage to be complete; something is always missing."
These little excerpts of Baltasar Gracián works were written in the 17 century but funnily, they are still relatable and often times quite true.
He talks about how to behave in order to be successful, to behave in front of superiors (e.g. bosses) and how to behave with enemies.
I met a lot of people in higher positions and there were a lot of paragraphs exactly describing the way I had to behave and learn in order to not piss them off.
You know, for example, correct them if they are wrong but in such a way that it looks like someone else f* it up and not themselves. Or in order to get a good report after a job or internship it is important to leave a good impression on almost everyone - not just with the people in your department but also with the secrecy, with people from other departments, with the cleaning personnel etc. etc.
"Half the world is laughing at the other half, and all are fools."
Nonetheless the book also has some paragraphs that I do not support / I believe are wrong. One of them is that according to the book you should never interact with people who have it rough or are unfortunate because it spreads like a disease and gets to you. That's bulls*.
"Get used to the bad temperaments of those you deal with, like getting used to ugly faces." dude what?!
February 14, 2016
I am not a huge fan of Machiavelli, his views seemed skewed to me, but at least he was trying to understand politics. This guy is an evil version of Machiavelli. I mean Machiavelli can be considered an upfront guy when compared to Baltasar. “Don’t wish friends too much good fortune, if you don’t want to lose them,� is a thing he actually wrote. He also brings forth that people that might try to help you, are basically just stupid for doing so. I am never reading any of his works, I do not want to turn into a soulless beast. Thank you, I am fine with my Machiavelli.
December 27, 2024
I feel like this would pair well with Letters from a Stoic because I swear Gracián reads like an evil Seneca haha
March 11, 2018
This book is not about using your enemies. It is mostly a collection of advice on life. For example:
"You are as much as you know, and a wise person can do anything. A person without knowledge is a world in darkness."
"Spend the first part of a fine life in communication with the dead. We are born to know and to know ourselves, and books reliably turn us into people."
Some parts offer ways of manipulating people but to those who disliked the book because of it I would advise to use this information to guard themselves against manipulation instead of getting outraged that something like that was written.
"You are as much as you know, and a wise person can do anything. A person without knowledge is a world in darkness."
"Spend the first part of a fine life in communication with the dead. We are born to know and to know ourselves, and books reliably turn us into people."
Some parts offer ways of manipulating people but to those who disliked the book because of it I would advise to use this information to guard themselves against manipulation instead of getting outraged that something like that was written.
December 17, 2015
This book is a stunning read; it's witty, engaging and littered with beautiful, and often calculating, quotes. It's also, amusingly, littered with contradictions: on one hand, it's a guide for any budding psychopath and on the other, a set of morals and principles. I would be keen to read another translation and, at some point, the whole text as it does seem to be quite modern and not in keeping with 17th century prose. That said, it's a beautiful piece of work.
October 16, 2017
This is a book to dip into when looking for some inspiration, not something to pick up and devour. It put me in mind of those god-awful motivational pictures which adorn the walls of corporations, someone's idea of a way to live life, get on with people and behave. Yawn.
Not my cup of tea.
Not my cup of tea.
September 29, 2016
Well.. what a fine, useful book.
February 19, 2021
The best little black classic I’ve read yet!
It’s comforting but also scary to know that humans really haven’t changed since this book was written in the 1600s.
It’s comforting but also scary to know that humans really haven’t changed since this book was written in the 1600s.
November 13, 2015
This little collection of aphorisms really does reflect its title. How to Use Your Enemies gives us advice on how to go far in life by manipulating and using others, whether superior to you or otherwise. Interestingly, Gracián explains how not only to use your enemies, but also your friends. It's incredibly calculating, and surprising in places, particularly for being written by a man of the cloth.
I found it both easy and difficult to relate to all at once. Having spent the last few years of my life as an emotional recluse, and also a total bitch, I'm now trying hard (and succeeding) in opening up, connecting with people, and appreciating them for everything they are. I remember when the opposite was true, and this behaviour is what Gracián supports. I don't agree with sizing people up and using them for my own gain, nor do I believe in maintaining a persona at all times; some of his maxims, however, would certainly be helpful in the area of work I'm in, and are ones which I'm bound to unconsciously take on board.
An interesting read, with some notable points, but absolutely outdated and quite chilling in places. I'll leave you with my favourite of his comments:
In heaven, everything is good; in hell, everything bad. In the world, since it lies between the two, you find both. We are placed between two extremes, and so participate in both. Good and bad luck alternate; not all is happy, nor all hostile. This world is a zero: on its own, it's worth nothing; joined to heaven, a great deal. Indifference to its variety constitutes good sense - the wise are never surprised. Our life is arranged like a play, everything will be sorted out in the end. Take care, then, to end it well.
I found it both easy and difficult to relate to all at once. Having spent the last few years of my life as an emotional recluse, and also a total bitch, I'm now trying hard (and succeeding) in opening up, connecting with people, and appreciating them for everything they are. I remember when the opposite was true, and this behaviour is what Gracián supports. I don't agree with sizing people up and using them for my own gain, nor do I believe in maintaining a persona at all times; some of his maxims, however, would certainly be helpful in the area of work I'm in, and are ones which I'm bound to unconsciously take on board.
An interesting read, with some notable points, but absolutely outdated and quite chilling in places. I'll leave you with my favourite of his comments:
In heaven, everything is good; in hell, everything bad. In the world, since it lies between the two, you find both. We are placed between two extremes, and so participate in both. Good and bad luck alternate; not all is happy, nor all hostile. This world is a zero: on its own, it's worth nothing; joined to heaven, a great deal. Indifference to its variety constitutes good sense - the wise are never surprised. Our life is arranged like a play, everything will be sorted out in the end. Take care, then, to end it well.
November 22, 2020
'Better mad with the crowd than sane all alone...'
"How to Use Your Enemies" is written by a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher, Baltasar Gracuán and translated by Jeremy Robbins.
This book is a collection of maxims based on succession in this hazardous world. It's a selection from a larger work entitled ‘The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence�.
It talks on doubling the life's necessities just like nature doubled the important parts of the body, to leave troublesome work alone.
It definitely is a valuable read and I'd love to give it a re-read. Though I do not agree on some parts like making friends for our benefits and twisting them according to our preference. But there are still a few teachings that one should read.
____
Penguin little black classics - 12
My mom gifted the whole box of these 80 tiny little black classics on my birthday in 2019 and I couldn't be more greatful and thankful to her. They're all so small and with pretty little black covers. I'm excited to explore more authors from all over the world. I'll be reading them by the number of series they're arranged in and will be giving short reviews for each of them.
"How to Use Your Enemies" is written by a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher, Baltasar Gracuán and translated by Jeremy Robbins.
This book is a collection of maxims based on succession in this hazardous world. It's a selection from a larger work entitled ‘The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence�.
It talks on doubling the life's necessities just like nature doubled the important parts of the body, to leave troublesome work alone.
It definitely is a valuable read and I'd love to give it a re-read. Though I do not agree on some parts like making friends for our benefits and twisting them according to our preference. But there are still a few teachings that one should read.
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Penguin little black classics - 12
My mom gifted the whole box of these 80 tiny little black classics on my birthday in 2019 and I couldn't be more greatful and thankful to her. They're all so small and with pretty little black covers. I'm excited to explore more authors from all over the world. I'll be reading them by the number of series they're arranged in and will be giving short reviews for each of them.
August 19, 2023
great ways to use your enemies 😉😉
July 14, 2023
12/80
I can’t believe a priest wrote this insanely cold self-help book, but if any priest would write this it makes sense that it was a Jesuit. It tracks why they are my favorite.
I can’t believe a priest wrote this insanely cold self-help book, but if any priest would write this it makes sense that it was a Jesuit. It tracks why they are my favorite.
March 15, 2015
I haven't read Machiavelli yet, but I expect it's a bit like this: centuries-old advice on scheming that's now of limited use to the lives most of us live. It does contain some nuggets though, like:
Half the world is laughing at the other half, and all are fools. Either everything is good or everything bad, depending on people's opinions. What one pursues, another flees. Whoever wants to make their own opinion the measure of all things is an insufferable fool.
Grant something as a favour before it has to be given as a reward.
More can be gained from dependence than from courtesy: once thirst is quenched, people turn their backs on the fountain.
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These Little Black Classics are a great idea. A mere 80p for some nice little volume you can read in a little over an hour: wonderful.
Half the world is laughing at the other half, and all are fools. Either everything is good or everything bad, depending on people's opinions. What one pursues, another flees. Whoever wants to make their own opinion the measure of all things is an insufferable fool.
Grant something as a favour before it has to be given as a reward.
More can be gained from dependence than from courtesy: once thirst is quenched, people turn their backs on the fountain.
---
These Little Black Classics are a great idea. A mere 80p for some nice little volume you can read in a little over an hour: wonderful.
March 30, 2020
So far, my favourite from the collection.
After a small detour from "binge reading" these small classics, this was certainly a good comeback.
Delivered in small paragraphs, Gracián is direct and concise on his views.
One may not agree with some of his passages but throughout the book the author's wisdom and bluntness are consistent, making it easy to try to understand the author's views that are not so agreeable.
Gracián was one of the greatest influences of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, this is very noticeable on this book and, even though I have not read anything else from Gracián, I believe "How to Use Your Enemies" is a good starting point into Gracián's writings. I certainly was captivated by it.
After a small detour from "binge reading" these small classics, this was certainly a good comeback.
Delivered in small paragraphs, Gracián is direct and concise on his views.
One may not agree with some of his passages but throughout the book the author's wisdom and bluntness are consistent, making it easy to try to understand the author's views that are not so agreeable.
Gracián was one of the greatest influences of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, this is very noticeable on this book and, even though I have not read anything else from Gracián, I believe "How to Use Your Enemies" is a good starting point into Gracián's writings. I certainly was captivated by it.
April 22, 2015
This can be read as an informal handbook of leading a fulfilling life. I was surprised constantly and thoroughly enjoyed it cover to cover.
You may not find yourself agreeing all the time, but it's very fun and quotable.
You may not find yourself agreeing all the time, but it's very fun and quotable.
May 24, 2015
A self-help book from 5 centuries ago when the stakes were much higher (You can live without a promotion, but in the King's court rub a prince the wrong way.... execution!).
It should be a must-read in schools in "Game of Thrones" World. It can decrease the dead toll considerably.
It should be a must-read in schools in "Game of Thrones" World. It can decrease the dead toll considerably.
March 19, 2023
I can hear Robert Greene in his 48 Laws of Power.
June 12, 2023
I read this book because I like to write shrewd characters that seem to know how to read people as an open book, well... This was a good book to accomplish that and gave me lots of inspiration.
I saw a review on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ saying how awful and manipulative this book is, that it's wrong to follow any of the pieces of advice given in it and that it shouldn't even be published, and I have to disagree a little.
Yes, this is a book that advises on never showing all your cards and having a foot always in the shadows, contemplating how to work the chessboard.
However, even if written in the 17th century this book seems to speak of people today, that's because human nature is the same.
No one is obligated to follow all advice the Spanish priest gives, but I think, for instance, the one topic of "get used to the bad temperament of those you deal with/there are horrible people you can neither live with nor live without" is useful for work environments or family dynamics so you navigate the storms those people unleash on you, for example.
The book teaches you to take a look at your best abilities, know yourself to be prepared to succeed and shows you how manipulative people work, so isn't it good to know those tactics so you're not taken advantage of? - that makes me think of classics like "The Art of War" or Maquiavel's "The Prince" or even books about body language, they are tools that I think are good to know if you ever need them.
Rating: 3.5 stars
I saw a review on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ saying how awful and manipulative this book is, that it's wrong to follow any of the pieces of advice given in it and that it shouldn't even be published, and I have to disagree a little.
Yes, this is a book that advises on never showing all your cards and having a foot always in the shadows, contemplating how to work the chessboard.
However, even if written in the 17th century this book seems to speak of people today, that's because human nature is the same.
No one is obligated to follow all advice the Spanish priest gives, but I think, for instance, the one topic of "get used to the bad temperament of those you deal with/there are horrible people you can neither live with nor live without" is useful for work environments or family dynamics so you navigate the storms those people unleash on you, for example.
The book teaches you to take a look at your best abilities, know yourself to be prepared to succeed and shows you how manipulative people work, so isn't it good to know those tactics so you're not taken advantage of? - that makes me think of classics like "The Art of War" or Maquiavel's "The Prince" or even books about body language, they are tools that I think are good to know if you ever need them.
Rating: 3.5 stars
January 26, 2022
I have to say, I'm disappointed. I bought it because I thought it might be interesting, but I didn't agree with a lot of things!
August 23, 2020
A brilliantly timeless, thought-provoking, and enlightening Baroque read. I really recommend this book and hope to be reading more of Gracián's work in the future.
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